Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon S3 with lifecycle policies to transition to Glacier because this combination delivers the most cost-effective SAP HANA backup storage on AWS while meeting the high-durability requirement of 99.999999999%. S3 provides a scalable, durable object store ideal for daily full and hourly incremental backups, and lifecycle rules automatically move older backups to Glacier for long-term retention at a fraction of the cost. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of balancing performance, durability, and cost for SAP HANA backup strategies—a common trap is choosing EBS Snapshots, which are stored in S3 but incur higher costs for long-term retention due to per-snapshot incremental pricing. Remember the memory tip: “S3 for daily, Glacier for decay”—meaning active backups stay in S3, while aged backups transition to Glacier to minimize expense.
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of design of sap workloads on aws. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company is designing a backup strategy for SAP HANA on AWS. The HANA database is 2 TB in size. The company requires daily full backups and hourly incremental backups. Which AWS service should be used to store the backups cost-effectively with high durability?
Amazon S3 with lifecycle policies to transition to Glacier.
S3 offers durability and cost-effectiveness for backups.
Amazon EBS Snapshots stored in Amazon S3.
Why wrong: EBS snapshots are more expensive for long-term storage.
AWS Storage Gateway with volume gateway.
Why wrong: Storage Gateway is for hybrid cloud.
Amazon EFS for shared backup storage.
Why wrong: EFS is not cost-effective for backup storage.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon S3 with lifecycle policies to transition to Glacier.
Option A is correct because Amazon S3 provides 99.999999999% durability and is cost-effective for storing backups. S3 lifecycle policies can move older backups to Glacier for further cost savings. Option B is incorrect because Amazon EBS Snapshots are stored in S3 but are more expensive for long-term retention. Option C is incorrect because Amazon EFS is a file system, not optimized for backup storage. Option D is incorrect because AWS Storage Gateway is for on-premises integration.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon S3 with lifecycle policies to transition to Glacier.
Why this is correct
S3 offers durability and cost-effectiveness for backups.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon EBS Snapshots stored in Amazon S3.
Why it's wrong here
EBS snapshots are more expensive for long-term storage.
AWS Storage Gateway with volume gateway.
Why it's wrong here
Storage Gateway is for hybrid cloud.
Amazon EFS for shared backup storage.
Why it's wrong here
EFS is not cost-effective for backup storage.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Identify which PAS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Design of SAP Workloads on AWS — This question tests Design of SAP Workloads on AWS — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon S3 with lifecycle policies to transition to Glacier. — Option A is correct because Amazon S3 provides 99.999999999% durability and is cost-effective for storing backups. S3 lifecycle policies can move older backups to Glacier for further cost savings. Option B is incorrect because Amazon EBS Snapshots are stored in S3 but are more expensive for long-term retention. Option C is incorrect because Amazon EFS is a file system, not optimized for backup storage. Option D is incorrect because AWS Storage Gateway is for on-premises integration.
Identify which PAS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This PAS-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PAS-C01 exam.
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